By: Cain Cawthon
The New York Giants hosted the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL season opener on Wednesday night at MetLife Stadium and gave the Cowboys a gift they’ve been waiting for all year…a win — giving the star team an upper hand in the divisional race.
Credit: Barton Silverman/The New York Time - File: Tony Romo passed for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns for Dallas in the N.F.L. season opener
The Cowboys won 24-17.
In the first quarter, the Giants kept the Cowboys off the board with a strong defensive stand. Facing a fourth-and-inches from the Giants 37, the Cowboys went for it and came up short when Lawrence Vickers was stopped for no gain.
The Giants best drive ended with a fumble by rookie running back David Wilson. Sean Lee recovered for the Cowboys on their 34.
Quarterback Tony Romo threw for 307 yards, DeMarco Murray rushed for 129 yards and Ogletree had two touchdowns.
Cowboys center Phil Costa aggravated a back injury that kept him out of most of the preseason. He was replaced by Ryan Cook.Giants cornerback Michael Coe left the game with hamstring injury.
The Giants tried to stay confident, despite the backlash from outsiders.
“We’ve already showed people who we are,” safety Antrel Rolle said. “We can care less about that. We leave that up to spectators. We’re just going out there and playing ball. And that is what it is all about. We can care less about what kind of recognition we are getting or who is crowning us and who is not crowning us. None of that matters coming into the 2012 season.”
“We all knew we were the underdogs,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in his team’s locker room afterward. “We certainly weren’t proud of the last time we were up here seven months ago. I felt like I never left the halls of this stadium when we came back in here today.
“It is really special. Our team should really be able to build and be inspired to grab this win. They earned it.”
